Conventional pivot shafts are generally circular having one flat side to provide a detent position for the attachment mechanism. The flat side of the pivot shaft cooperates with the attachment mechanism to enable the visor to securely remain in the stored position. The present invention incorporates this use of the pivot shaft having a detent position.
Traditionally, visor spring clips have used various alternatives to provide free rotation of the visor about the pivot shaft except in the storage position.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,071,186 and 5,080,420 to Hemmeke et al. disclose a pair of visor mounting brackets which include C-shaped spring clips having a flat end segment cooperating with the flat surface of the pivot arm. Hemmeke et al. utilize the C-shaped clip in combination with a mounting boss to attach the visor to the pivot arm.
An alternative approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,367 to Kuttler et al. which utilizes a spring clip which is wrapped around the pivot arm for mounting the visor. The U-shaped spring clip includes a web which is wrapped around the pivot arm and has arms which extend from the web. The ends of the arms include an inwardly facing hook and a hooking edge that are hooked together in tension during mounting of a visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,054 to Cziptschirsch utilizes a similar approach. Cziptschirsch discloses a U-shaped flat spring clip which wraps around the pivot arm for mounting a visor. The spring clip has a pair of legs, one having a hookable part which cooperates with a hookable element on the opposed opposite leg to place the spring clip under tension as the visor is secured about the pivot arm. The pivot arm shown in the Cziptschirsch patent contains two flat surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,699 to Nakamura discloses an alternative approach which utilizes a hinge structure for a sun visor featuring a single storage position snap action function. The spring clip discloses a pair of offset opposing flat surfaces which cooperate with similarly arranged flat surfaces on the pivot arm. A first spring clip contains lanced tangs which cooperate with a second clip having apertures to securely receive the pivot arm within the sun visor housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,303 assigned to applicant's assignee discloses a mechanism and method for attaching a visor to a pivot shaft by providing a generally U-shaped clip having first and second arms within a cooperating clip housing integrally formed within the rear panel of the visor. A conduit is formed by the spring clip enabling the sliding of the pivot shaft along both the clip housing and the spring clip. The clip housing is designed to cooperate with the pivot shaft to pre-stress the spring clip thereby eliminating excess play between the spring clip and the visor when the visor is pivoted, The attachment mechanism is designed such that a snap-shut hook is received within a receiving hook, thereby effectively securing the visor to the pivot shaft.
A further approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,500 to Langridge which utilizes a hinge assembly having a pair of sleeve legs interconnected by a base portion, The legs are pre-loaded to resiliently and frictionally engage the sides of the pivot arm to retain the visor in a preselected rotation position relative to the pivot arm. The spring clip also includes a lateral support portion generally adjacent each longitudinal end of one leg of the spring clip. The lateral support portions are each generally U-shaped in lateral cross section and have a pair of spaced support legs protruding laterally toward and around the pivot arm. The support legs engage the outer surface of the pivot arm to laterally support and substantially maintain the spring clip in lateral alignment. The support legs also bias the pivot arm in a direction generally away from one leg of the spring clip toward the other leg to bias the spring clip toward the detent function when the visor is rotated to the storage position.
The present invention incorporates all of the known benefits of spring clips for visors providing only one detent and preventing lateral movement of the visor along the pivot shaft while improving the overall attachment mechanism.